A handful of players from New York and New Jersey heard their names called at the 2017 National Hockey League Entry Draft, held at United Center in Chicago on June 23-24.
The first local kid to be picked by an NHL club was David Farrance (Victor, N.Y.), who was plucked 92nd overall by the Stanley Cup runner-up Nashville Predators. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound, left-shooting defenseman is proud to be representing the Rochester area and let it be known during his post-selection media scrum.
"It’s a good feeling," Farrance said. "Hopefully I can (represent) it to the best of my ability. It’s a great community to be a part of."
Farrance knows several NHL Rochester area natives, including Brian and Stephen Gionta (Rochester, N.Y.), Shane Prince (Spencerport, N.Y.) and Ryan Callahan (Rochester, N.Y.), by working out with them during summers. His biggest takeaway from watching them is "how professional they are."
